Fermín Vélez
Fermín Vélez (born April 3, 1959 in Barcelona ; † March 31, 2003 there ) was a Spanish racing car driver .
Career
After his first attempts at motorsport in kart racing, the Spaniard's professional racing career began late in 1978. At the age of 29, he was one of the oldest drivers on the international Formula 3 scene at the end of the 1970s . Although he was active in several Formula 3 racing series, there were hardly any countable successes. The career stalled. Since there was no prospect of further advancement in the European monoposto sport, he drove mountain races at the beginning of the 1980s due to a lack of sponsorship funds , because there the financial needs were far lower than in circuit racing . In 1982 he won the overall touring car classification of the Spanish hill climb championship on a Simca 1000 rally . In 1985 he became Spanish mountain champion of all classes on a Lola T292 .
Vélez did not start racing until the mid-1980s, in 1986 for the team of former racing driver John Fitzpatrick in the sports car world championship , in the same year he also made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans . A year later a works contract with Spice Engineering followed .
He celebrated his greatest successes in US sports car racing. In 1995 he won the drivers' championship in the IMSA World Sports Car Championship, the successor to the IMSA GTP series, in a Ferrari 333SP . From 1990 to 1998 he competed there 58 times, celebrated eleven race victories and was on the podium of the top three a total of 34 times, which made him one of the top drivers at the IMSA. In 1995 and 1997 he won the Sebring 12-hour race and came second in the Daytona 24-hour race in 1997 .
He also had success in the US in a single posto. Has competed twice in the Indianapolis 500 miles . In 1995 he dropped out and reached tenth place two years later on a Dallara Oldsmobile.
His last great success was the overall victory in the Spanish GTB Championship in 2000. At the end of the year he fell ill with cancer and had to stop his racing activities. In March 2003 he died in his hometown of Barcelona after a long and serious illness.
statistics
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | John Fitzpatrick Racing | Porsche 956B | Emilio de Villota | George Fouché | Rank 4 | |
1987 | Spice engineering | Spice SE86C | Gordon Spice | Philippe de Henning | Rank 6 and class win | |
1989 | Chamberlain Engineering | Spice SE88C | Nick Adams | Luigi Taverna | failure | Valve damage |
1990 | Spice engineering | Spice SE90C | Tim Harvey | Chris Hodgetts | Rank 18 | |
1996 | Rocket Sports Racing | Ferrari 333SP LM | Andy Evans | Yvan Muller | failure | no petrol |
1998 | Doyle Risi Racing | Ferrari 333SP | Wayne Taylor | Eric van de Poele | Rank 8 and class win |
Sebring results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | Spice Engineering USA | Spice SE90P | Tomas Lopez | Richard Piper | Rank 14 | ||
1991 | Bieri Racing | Spice SE89P | Martino Finotto | Ruggero Melgrati | failure | accident | |
1992 | Scandia Motorsports | Kudzu DG-2 | Andy Evans | Jay Cochran | failure | suspension | |
1995 | Scandia Motorsports | Ferrari 333SP | Andy Evans | Eric van de Poele | Overall victory | ||
1997 | Team Scandia | Ferrari 333SP | Andy Evans | Yannick Dalmas | Stefan Johansson | Overall victory | |
1998 | Doyle-Risi Racing | Ferrari 333SP | Wayne Taylor | Eric van de Poele | failure | Wagon fire |
Web links
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Vélez, Fermín |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish racing car driver |
DATE OF BIRTH | April 3, 1959 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Barcelona |
DATE OF DEATH | March 31, 2003 |
Place of death | Barcelona |